Kenya's Kibaki open to coalition: Tutu

NAIROBI (Reuters) - President Mwai Kibaki is open to the idea of a coalition government to break political deadlock and end turmoil after Kenya's election, South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said on Friday.

"The president was not averse to the formation of coalitions -- but clearly there has to be an acceptance that there is a governing authority in the country," Tutu told reporters after a meeting with Kibaki.

He had separately met opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement on Thursday.

Tutu flew to Kenya this week to appeal for peace and to try and find some common ground between both sides, although he has not been formally accepted as a mediator.

"There is a great deal of hope since both the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and government have indicated they are open to negotiations," the cleric said. "They are still putting conditions ... but I think there is this eagerness."

Tutu's comments came amid rising frustration among Kenyans that Kibaki and Raila -- or their top aides -- have not sat down to try and resolve a crisis that has already cost more than 300 lives and damaged east Africa's largest economy.

But Tutu said the situation was improving.

"There's no sense here that you're on the verge of a military coup. I am hopeful, more hopeful," he said.

(Reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Caroline Drees)